Alan Schwartz Obituary, Death – Alan G. Schwartz passed away on December 2nd, surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and 64-year-old wife. The scope of his influence and the list of his accomplishments suggested that he had lived two lifetimes in his 91 years. Nonetheless, it was insufficient for him. His “to do” list grew beyond mortal comprehension. Alan was born in New York City on November 7, 1931, as the first child of Kevie W. Schwartz and Vera (Isaacs) Schwartz. He began his education at PS 6 and continued at Phillips Academy (Andover) in 1948, Yale University in 1952, and Harvard Business School in 1954. Sports were a big part of his life from a young age. Alan was the captain of the Andover tennis team and a letterwinner in swimming.
Despite his tennis skills, it was his swimming ability that caught the eye of Yale’s legendary Coach Kiphuth. Kiphuth recruited Alan to Yale’s swim team after an AndoverYale meet, saying, “You are the biggest, fastest, dumbest swimmer I’ve ever seen.” I want you on my team because I know how to fix it.” Alan had a great time at Yale. Part of it was as a decorated athlete; part of it was as a host (with his three roommates) to a formal gambling den; and part of it was as an enthusiastic road tripper to several nearby all-female colleges. His involvement in undergraduate social life was so extensive that the engineering school’s dean summoned him to his office. “Are you under the impression, Mr. Schwartz, that Yale is a correspondence school?” he inquired. Kevie, Alan’s father, arranged for his son to live in a single room during his junior year.
Despite his undergraduate misadventures, he was accepted to and graduated from Harvard Business School with honors. He dropped out of high school to work in the chromium plating business with his father in Chicago, where his work ethic had improved. Alan and Kevie sold the company and started a commercial real estate firm within a year. After college, Alan continued his tennis career, winning eight National Championships and seven Illinois State Championships. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Tennis Channel and has been inducted into ten halls of fame, including the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, the Chicago Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Midwest Tennis Hall of Fame.
He invented the now-ubiquitous 4 “baseline and a founder of the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP). He was a driving force behind the establishment of the US Open Series. Despite having qualified for Wimbledon, he chose not to compete in the hope of making the cut the following year. He still hasn’t received his second qualifying mark. While playing tennis in Chicago, he became frustrated by the lack of suitable indoor tennis facilities. To address the issue, Alan and his father established Midtown Tennis Club, the world’s largest tennis club. Midtown (now Midtown Athletic Club) is widely regarded as the world’s most successful health club. Alan first became involved with the US Tennis Association (USTA) in 1972, when he hosted the Boys 14 National Indoor Championship at Midtown.
In 1995, he was elected to the USTA board of directors and later became President. He was also the Vice President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). He, too, had a personal life. Alan met and fell in love with Roslyn (Ronnie) Smulian on a blind date set up by his PS 6 best friend Bob Block in 1958. They married three months later… and ten months later, their first child, Steven, arrived, soon followed by Andrew, Sally, and Betsy. He’d just booked a romantic cruise for next spring, accepted a three-year extension to serve on the board of International Education of Students (IES), and spent an hour on the phone rescheduling next week’s business meetings while checking in for the final time at the hospital. Except for his reputation as one of the worst drivers in history, everyone who knew him will miss him. Although our hearts are broken, the roads are safer.
Alan’s wife Roslyn, son Steven (Claudia), and daughters Sally (Louie Hondros) and Betsy survive him (David Brint). Alex Schwartz (Sarah Kessler), Samantha and Alex Emmitt, Annie Schwartz (Maxx McClelland), Genevra (Nessa) and Charlotte Higginson, Karly and Jackson Brinla, Zachary Brint (Caroline MacNeille), and Alan Brint are among his grandchildren. His great-grandchildren Leo Schwartz, Riley, and Jesse Emmitt, as well as his sisters Audrey (Fred) Horne and Amy Lubin, survive him (Donald, deceased). Andrew, his son, predeceased him in death. Alan’s extraordinary life will be remembered at a later date with a memorial service. In Alan’s memory, donations to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, www.fightingblindness.org, or the USTA Foundation, www.ustafoundation.com, would be greatly appreciated. For more information, please contact The Goldman Funeral Group at (847) 478-1600.